Content

St. Nicholas Parish History

• Arriving
• The First Steps
• Moving to 10th Street
• Purchasing the Church Property

Building History - Landmark

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Arriving

As our forefathers approached the shores of America, they saw from the portholes and decks of the steamships which carried them, the symbols of America and New York City:  the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the skyline of Manhattan.  The growth and change of Lower Manhattan is reflected in the changes experienced by our ancestors.  The Tenements in which they first lived have been replaced by the massive structures of the World Trade Center and the subterranean Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. In a similar way, their lives moved from the confines of ghettos to the sprawl of the other boroughs and surrounding suburbs. Regardless of where they finally settled, their lives centered around the institution which they collectively established – St. Nicholas Church on Avenue A and 10th Street, or lovingly called, "10th Street Church."

The villages of Jarabina and Litmanova located in the Bysoky Tatry Mountains of then-Czechoslovakia were the chief hamlets from which the majority of the founders and parishioners of St. Nicholas came.  Others came from the village of Kamienka and other towns located in the beautiful Beskid and Carpathian Mountains, and the cities of Presov, Bratislava, Uzhorod and Mukacevo. They were people of the land, so in an urban environment they found job opportunities as domestics, office cleaners, transit and restaurant workers. They were a hard-working, industrious people and businessmen sought them out.  Even today the new arrivals are praised for being diligent and honest workers who can be depended upon for an honest day’s work.

The First Steps

On May 27, 1924, John Vislocky , who became the Reverend Father Deacon, approached the late Metropolitan Platon, Exarch of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America, about the possibility of organizing a Carpatho-Russian Church in New York City. The Metropolitan referred John Vislocky to the late Carpatho-Russian Bishop Dzubaj. In the home of John Vanicky, a delicatessen owner, plans were outlined for a new Orthodox Church.

On September 1, 1925, Father Joseph J. Takach, and John V. Vislocky, Michael Russnak, John Vanicky, Michael Vanicky and Emil Sopoliga met as the founding fathers of the new parish to be named in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  On September 6, 1925, in SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, 121 East 7th Street, where Father Chichila was pastor, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated with a small group of people in attendance. Following the Liturgy, the first parochial meeting was held, and John Vislocky was elected President, Michael Russnak, Secretary, and John Vanicky, Treasurer.

On September 25, 1925, the second Divine Liturgy was celebrated on 75th Street with Seminarian John Havriliak, Michael Evanyke, Michael Russnak, and Emil Sopoliga leading the plain chant. Upon the request of Father Takeach and the parish, Seminarian John Havriliak was asked to assume the cantorial and choir director duties of the new parish.  The first choir rehearsal was held Thursday evening, September 24, 1925, at the Carpatho-Russian Center located on 50 Greenwich Street.  At the first rehearsal, more men attended than women, and with the help of John Loboda and his violin, lessons began.  Following this session, the SS. Cyril and Methodious Carpatho-Russian Choral Society was organized and the first members were: Michael Buchina, Vasil Buchina, Vasil Grab, Nicholas Jarina, Michael Kmech, Michael Kormanik, Andrew Kovalcik, Peter Krepasky, John Loboda, Stephen Loboda, John Minchik, John Nanko, Joseph Peles, Nicholas Russnak, Michael Russnak, Jr., Vasil Vanicky, and John V. Vislocky.  At the second historical choir rehearsal on Tuesday evening, September 29, 1925, the following young women became members of the society:  Anna Buchovich, Anna Krempasky, Catherine Mizeshko, Anna Vanicky, and Irene Weber.  That same Evening the group went to Battery Park and rehearsed for hours. 

“Karpatorusskig na Downtown Nju Jork” was the tile of a leaflet distributed to the large Carpatho-Russian settlement concentrated around Battery Park where the majestic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center now stand. It called on individuals to unite and become parishioners of the new parish. Three weeks following the first Divine Liturgy, the fast growing parish moved to its present quarters at 288 East 10th Street.

Moving to 10th Street

The people rented the present church from the Episcopal Diocese of New York for $50 a month.  One part of the huge building housed the Leonardo da Vinci Art School, and the church was known by the Episcopalians as St Mark’s Chapel of the Bouwerie.  Later our people were able to rent the entire building for $100 a month.  The church building had been built by the Rutherford Stuyvesant Family in 1884.  Some of the board members were prominent New Yorkers and included:  Hamilton Fish, former Governor of New York State and Secretary of State under President Grant; Henry B. Renwick; William Scott; Peter C. Schuyler; and Alfred Hl. Easton The first Divine Liturgy celebrated in the new church on 10th Street was on the holy day of the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross, September 27, 1925.

The first Parochial School was established on the same day with John Havriliak as teacher.  The first students in the new church school were: Anna Cheselka, John Ceselka, Anna Drapach, Terka Drapach, Anna Dyk, Rosalia Jurchinsky, Anna Kindya, Anna Kmech, Mary Kmech, Michael Kmech, Anna Krempasky, Peter Krempasky, John Loboda, Stephen Loboda, Catherine Mizechko, Catherine Rapach, Anna Russnak, Mary Russnak, Mary Salony, Ilona Vanicky, Michael Vanicky, Mary Vanicky, Peter Vanicky, John Vislocky, Matilda Vislocky, Irene Weber, and Michael Kindya.

On October 18, 1925, the choir sang for the first time on 10th Street and had memberships of 36 people. On November 22, 1925, Seminarian John Havriliak was ordained a preist and assigned to his first parish in Crossingville, PA. In 1925 through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Konstantin Yanoscik, and Mr. and Mrs. John Salony, the parish received a large Gospel Book.

At the parochial meeting on September 27, 1925, in addition to the officers mentioned above, the following were elected:  Charles Buchina, Recording Secretary; Nicholas Minchik, President of Comptrollers; Peter Krempasky, and Charles Vira, Comptrollers.  The first parish social was held on March 6, 1926, with great success. Despite the many financial problems of the time, the people united and the parish grew.  The great Crash of 1929 brought economic hardships to the parishioners, but while mighty corporations collapsed, the Church on 10th Street struggled on because of the personal sacrifice of the people and the leadership of their priests.

Purchasing the Church Property

On January 29, 1937, the parish bought the 10th Street church building from the Episcopal Diocese for $38,000, and the church was named after the patron of all our people: St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra. The money came from two principal sources:  personal loans and two mortgages.  The first mortgage of $8,000 was granted by Morris McVeigh, and the second mortgage of $15,000 was held by St. Mark’s Church in the Bouwerie.  The following parishioners made loans in the highest amounts: Vasil Simak, $1,600; Peter Herko $ 1,500; Joseph Kmech $ 1,000; Konstantine Yanoscik $1,000; Vasil Rusinak, $1,000; Vasil Kmech, $800; Vasil Drenchko, $600; Michael Nanko, $550; Mary Rusinak, $500; and Vasil Cheselka, $500.

During this time Father Basil Huha was pastor and John Teliho, Cantor and Choir Director. Officers for 1936 were:  John Vanicky, President; Joseph Kindya, Financial Secretary; John Gaydos, Treasurer; John V. Vislocky, Recording Secretary and Sexton. Trustees were Michael Zadik, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Anna Bogusky (Mrs. Michael Bily), Secretary; John V. Vislocky, John Vanicky, Joseph Kindya, John Gaydos, Charles Simak, John Sikoryak, Peter Herko, Jr., Michael Karpiak, Charles Rusinak and Stephen Havriliak.

On August 24, 1938, parishioners from St. Nicholas Parish joined other people from the surrounding area at the docks on the Hudson River, to bid bon voyage to the priest, Father Orestes P. Chornock from Bridgeport CT, who was sailing to Constantinople to be consecrated first Bishop of the newly founded American Carpatho-Russian  Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese.  On September 18, 1938 in the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Constantinople, Father Chornock was consecrated Bishop.  Returning to America, the new Bishop was greeted by the parishioners of St. Nicholas, and in their church he offered his first service of Thanksgiving as Bishop.  Parishioners from St. Nicholas went to St. John’s Church, Bridgeport, CT to participate in the Bishop’s first Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on November 24, 1938. Bishop Chornock visited the parish on 10th Street frequently.  On April 16, 1939, Father Stephen Skasko and his Pani, Susan Dzuback were married in the parish.

The Diocesan Seminary was located in St. Nicholas Church.  The first students were:  Very Rev. Msgr. Stephen Dutko, Very Rev. Msgr. John Zeleniak, Very Rev. John Kossey, Fathers:  John Hotrovich, John Matey, William Barany and Michael Markulin.  Prefect of the Seminary was Father Michael Kanyuch.  Later students included: 
Very Rev. Msgr. Raphael Sotak, Very Rev. Msgr. Michael Sopoliga, Very Rev. Msgr. John I. Dolhy, Very Rev Msgr. Elias Kozar, and Vasil Buchko.

The parish became an ethnic center for our people in the Metropolitan area.  A Carpatho-Russian American National Club was organized, language courses were given, and orchestra, choral and dance groups organized. Prof. D.M. Vergunm, a noted Carpatho-Russian scholar, poet and historian, had plans for the organization of a Carpatho-Russian National Museum to be located in the church building.  The parish, during the pastorate of Father Joseph Milly and through the efforts of Vasil Hlinka, John Chobor, and Stefan Karafa, made plans to publish the works of prof. Nicholas Beskid on Carpatho-Russian history.

In 1940, the three beautiful bells of the parish were cast at the McShane Bell Foundry, Baltimore, MD. They were blessed, receiving the names of SS. Peter and Paul, St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Nicholas. They were donated by Vasil and Mary Rusinak and Family.

In 2008, St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church building was designated a landmark by New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission. This was done on account of her extensive and rich history, which predates the current Orthodox Christian Parish by about 42 years.

In 1882 and 1883, the church was built as the Memorial Chapel of St. Mark's in the Bowery, one of the city's oldest Episcopal parishes, as the gift of Rutherford Stuyvesant, a descendant of the Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant, in memory of his wife Mary (Pierrepont) Rutherford Stuyvesant. Mary had died in childbirth on New Year's Eve 1879, where neither Mary nor her child survived.

In deep grief, Stuyvesant planned a monument to his wife. He arranged to build a memorial chapel connected with St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, the Episcopal church built by Peter Stuyvesant in 1795 on his farm land. He chose a large plot of land at the corner of East 10th Street and Avenue A where a small St. Mark’s mission structure already stood. He hired the eminent architect James Renwick, Jr. who was already responsible for the magnificent Grace Episcopal Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Renwick worked with W. H. Russell in creating an edifice far removed from those lacy Gothic churches.

Begun in 1882, it was constructed of red-orange brick and abundant terra cotta trim of a nearly-matching hue. The building drew on several of the prevailing styles of the day: Romanesque, Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival, Queen Anne and Eastlake.

The great mass facing Avenue A was broken by stepped dormers, a multi-level roofline and terra cotta courses separating the floors. A dramatic Gothic entrance separated the chapel from the school and administrative sections. A tall, impressive bell tower rose above the roof to a pyramidal cap.

The building was finished in 1884 at a cost of $200,000.  Three hundred and fifty worshipers could be seated on the main floor with another 100 in the gallery. The Avenue A side housed the library and reading room, a day school, kindergarten and day nursery and a Sunday school room that spanned the entire length of the building at the ground floor. The New York Times remarked that “it is a very cheerful and attractive place of worship.”

The chapel was immediately heavily involved in social and charitable works. It was home to the Guild of the Good Samaritan, which provided “physical air and medical attendance, etc., to the needy and sick poor in the neighborhood.” The Ladies’ Benevolent Society provided sewing for poor women, and the library with its 1,200 volumes provided free books. A Loan Relief Association was available when neighbors could not pay their rent, buy coal or medicine and other emergencies. Also here was the Parish Association that provided care and training of children, sought jobs for the unemployed and cared for the sick and aged.

In 1911, St. Mark’s rented the church, which served members of the area’s large Eastern European immigrant community, to the Holy Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church, which remained there until St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, a Carpatho-Russian congregation, assumed the lease in 1925. The church is named for the archbishop of Myra (located in what is modern-day Turkey), who is a patron saint of children, sailors, merchants and students. The congregation bought the building from the Episcopal Diocese of New York in 1937.

The commission said in a statement:
The brick and terra cotta Renaissance Revival-style church, features intricate trim, Gothic-arched windows and a pair of ornate wooden doors topped by a stained-glass transom. The distinctive copper crosses that now crown the church were added later by the current congregation.

“This lively, picturesque church has anchored the neighborhood for more than 100 years and served thousands of immigrants as they tried to adapt to their new country,” said the commission’s chairman, Robert B.  Tierney.

Sources

Chan, S. (2008, December 16). Church and Midtown Building are Landmarks. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/east-village-church-and-midtown-building-are-newest-landmarks/

Miller, T. (2011, August 21). Renwick’s 1884 St. Mark’s memorial chapel -- 288 east 10th street. Renwick’s 1884 St. Mark’s Memorial Chapel -- 288 East 10th Street. http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2011/08/renwicks-1884-st-marks-memorial-chapel.html